«Ultragenyx selected Basel as our European headquarters because of the area’s thriving life sciences community, accessibility to the rest of Europe, business-friendly environment and strong international talent pool,» said Dr. Portolano. «On behalf of Ultragenyx, I would like to thank the team at BaselArea.swiss for their partnership throughout this process, as they have been invaluable as we look to establish our European presence and help bring promising therapies to patients throughout the region. We are focusing on key hires to establish necessary capabilities so that we are ready to launch if we receive approval, and we are confident we will be able to find and attract key talents in Basel».

Learn more about recruiting in Switzerland.

Dr. Portolano brings over 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, in medical, commercial and general management roles in both Europe and the United States. He has worked both on pre-launch and launches of products for rare diseases, both at Genzyme and Celgene. Before joining Ultragenyx, he spent ten years at Celgene Corporation in increasing leadership roles, most recently as Vice President of Strategy & Commercial Operations, EMEA. Prior to Celgene, he worked at Genzyme for eight years. Dr. Portolano received his M.D. degree from Federico II University in Napoli, Italy. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship and served as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of California at San Francisco.

About Ultragenyx
Ultragenyx is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to bringing to market novel products for the treatment of rare and ultra-rare diseases, with a focus on serious, debilitating genetic diseases. Founded in 2010, the company has rapidly built a diverse portfolio of product candidates with the potential to address diseases for which the unmet medical need is high, the biology for treatment is clear, and for which there are no approved therapies.

The company is led by a management team experienced in the development and commercialization of rare disease therapeutics. Ultragenyx’s strategy is predicated upon time and cost-efficient drug development, with the goal of delivering safe and effective therapies to patients with the utmost urgency.

The company’s website for more information on Ultragenyx

About BaselArea.swiss
BaselArea.swiss is responsible for the international promotion of the economic region of Basel, Switzerland. In a joint effort, the economic promotion agencies of the Swiss cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, and the Jura support expansion and relocation projects of foreign companies, and offer consulting services to entrepreneurs and startups. The identification and procurement of suitable commercial real estate and properties for international and national companies is an important service of BaselArea. BaselArea’s consulting services for interested parties are provided free of charge.